Are we willing to make the kind of economic sacrifices to get the entire human race--not just the privileged--and the planet to a place of real safety and security that, in the form of sacrificing their lives and the comforts of their homes for places of danger, our foremothers and forefathers made in World War 2?
Give up our reliance on fossil fuels and accustom ourselves to creating communities that don't rely on them? Recognize that our obsession with more sophisticated electronics is not healthy for humans or for nature? Paraphrasing Pogo, the enemy is not "out there" it is within us and, quoting Dickens from A Christmas Carol, "Beware them both [Ignorance and Want], and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy [Want], for on his brow I see that written which is Doom".
Musk, who says that compassion is a flaw, is desparately longing for love, empathy, and acknowledgement.
How miserable must life be for the world's first trillionaire that he has to resort to such silly statements just to get attention? The richest man in the world is also the loneliest.
From Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." And then the revolution burst forth and the proletariat were free. We are living in this time. My fear at this time? The proletariat are too complacent to revolt.
Whoever said that money is the root of all evil must have had a premonition of what our country has come to look like in the eyes of us common folk.
I am stunned, confounded, and horrified by the total lack of concern for our fellow man by all the billionaires and their obsession with acquiring as much wealth as possible - and then doing absolutely nothing to help others.
I know there are some exceptions to that rule, but the large majority of them (mostly men) are the greediest, most self-serving individuals on the planet.
Thank you, Elliot, for your perspective on Musk and the intentions of his SpaceX innovations. Leaving this earth behind for Mars is, in my opinion, just about the stupidest idea floated in my lifetime, and I’m nearing 80. It’s also, as you wrote, reflective of the idea of planned and expected obsolescence that seems to have taken hold of the minds of too many Americans of all economic levels. If something isn’t working well, don’t fix it replace it. How many of us had been seduced by that practice and now are finding value in repairing our equipment and possessions. I’m horrified by the greed and materialism that seem so prevalent in our country now. Instead of focusing on rockets to colonize other planets, let’s work on salvaging what we can of our planet to keep it habitable for as long as possible.
This space race does not belong to all of us. It belongs to just a few, the oligarchs and silly celebrities who will pay ridiculous amounts of money for a five minute rocket ride.
I am generally in agreement with all that you say, not only in this piece, but in everything you write!
I just want to say that sometimes, there have been amazing philanthropists that have emerged from the super-rich families. In my career as a teacher, I met two of these people, who were parents of students that I taught. One mother was a granddaughter of John Rockefeller, and one dad was a descended from the Crown family of Chicago. Both families remain generous donors to liberal, pro-social causes. I know that this wealth did not come without a steep price for the environment. . .but at least those ill-gotten gains have been put to better use.
Remember those days when everytime a rocket went up with astronauts aboard TVs were wheeled into classrooms ? Everything stopped for a few minutes after lift off before the NASA control center erupted in cheers when the rocket achieved orbit. Not like today when a there was a suborbital ride for a bachelorette party and a space ride for William Shatner of Star Trek fame. Everything is cheap and tawdry today. It costs a lot of money but it is just cheap !!! One of the indelible memories of my life was watching lift off with my elementary school daughters and seeing a young teacher, so much like their own, die in a fiery explosion due to a faulty O ring. And the shocked silence from NASA as they watched the same thing. Elon Musk, our newly hatched trillionaire, is a perfect example for this age. Shoddy and nasty and insufferable. Because of him and Trump we can never go back to those hopeful exhilarating times. But if the Knicks win ?????
I live in Michigan and we share two Great Lakes with Canada (Superior & Huron) and the third one (Michigan) with Illinois and Indiana. We also have a TON of groundwater. I feel all fresh water must be protected at ALL costs. I’ve said for some time that we could become a climate refuge given the need for freshwater. These new data centers chew up resources quickly, potentially cause contamination and who knows what else.
What I don’t want to see happen is for us to barrel into the future without some serious discussions…. about water, increasing inequality and how we will: regulate these industries, how we will provide for people that lose their jobs to AI and on and on.
I worked in the tech industry and it can be a wonderful thing. What we’ve done with the current and coming tech is far outpace our ability to grapple adequately with the implications of it. Our current regulations fall far short of even the basics. The whole question of wealth and privilege requires a robust conversation I don’t think anyone is willing to entertain at this point. Meanwhile, we have people going without: adequate healthcare, good paying jobs, housing that doesn’t cost the bulk of what they make and on and on. It’s not sustainable. We really need some adults in the room….. desperately.
There is something very wrong with these rockets. We shouldn't be affording the expense of giving Musk money to take rich people to Mars. Times are bad - the deficit is out of control and yet Congress and Vought keep giving contracts and money to Musk - for this unneeded extravagance.
Are we willing to make the kind of economic sacrifices to get the entire human race--not just the privileged--and the planet to a place of real safety and security that, in the form of sacrificing their lives and the comforts of their homes for places of danger, our foremothers and forefathers made in World War 2?
Give up our reliance on fossil fuels and accustom ourselves to creating communities that don't rely on them? Recognize that our obsession with more sophisticated electronics is not healthy for humans or for nature? Paraphrasing Pogo, the enemy is not "out there" it is within us and, quoting Dickens from A Christmas Carol, "Beware them both [Ignorance and Want], and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy [Want], for on his brow I see that written which is Doom".
Musk said compassion is a flaw.
Musk, who says that compassion is a flaw, is desparately longing for love, empathy, and acknowledgement.
How miserable must life be for the world's first trillionaire that he has to resort to such silly statements just to get attention? The richest man in the world is also the loneliest.
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time--before the people can take control over the rocket man and his oligarch buddies. Hope I'm wrong.
From Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." And then the revolution burst forth and the proletariat were free. We are living in this time. My fear at this time? The proletariat are too complacent to revolt.
An apt literary reference for these days.
Whoever said that money is the root of all evil must have had a premonition of what our country has come to look like in the eyes of us common folk.
I am stunned, confounded, and horrified by the total lack of concern for our fellow man by all the billionaires and their obsession with acquiring as much wealth as possible - and then doing absolutely nothing to help others.
I know there are some exceptions to that rule, but the large majority of them (mostly men) are the greediest, most self-serving individuals on the planet.
Ship them ALL off to Mars - and good riddance! 😡
yes.
Did not feel like anything to me. Seemed fake. Pretend. Childish. So the man has got a rocket to play with. So what!
YES!!!
Thank you, Elliot, for your perspective on Musk and the intentions of his SpaceX innovations. Leaving this earth behind for Mars is, in my opinion, just about the stupidest idea floated in my lifetime, and I’m nearing 80. It’s also, as you wrote, reflective of the idea of planned and expected obsolescence that seems to have taken hold of the minds of too many Americans of all economic levels. If something isn’t working well, don’t fix it replace it. How many of us had been seduced by that practice and now are finding value in repairing our equipment and possessions. I’m horrified by the greed and materialism that seem so prevalent in our country now. Instead of focusing on rockets to colonize other planets, let’s work on salvaging what we can of our planet to keep it habitable for as long as possible.
Excellent, Elliot. Thanks
This space race does not belong to all of us. It belongs to just a few, the oligarchs and silly celebrities who will pay ridiculous amounts of money for a five minute rocket ride.
I am generally in agreement with all that you say, not only in this piece, but in everything you write!
I just want to say that sometimes, there have been amazing philanthropists that have emerged from the super-rich families. In my career as a teacher, I met two of these people, who were parents of students that I taught. One mother was a granddaughter of John Rockefeller, and one dad was a descended from the Crown family of Chicago. Both families remain generous donors to liberal, pro-social causes. I know that this wealth did not come without a steep price for the environment. . .but at least those ill-gotten gains have been put to better use.
Remember those days when everytime a rocket went up with astronauts aboard TVs were wheeled into classrooms ? Everything stopped for a few minutes after lift off before the NASA control center erupted in cheers when the rocket achieved orbit. Not like today when a there was a suborbital ride for a bachelorette party and a space ride for William Shatner of Star Trek fame. Everything is cheap and tawdry today. It costs a lot of money but it is just cheap !!! One of the indelible memories of my life was watching lift off with my elementary school daughters and seeing a young teacher, so much like their own, die in a fiery explosion due to a faulty O ring. And the shocked silence from NASA as they watched the same thing. Elon Musk, our newly hatched trillionaire, is a perfect example for this age. Shoddy and nasty and insufferable. Because of him and Trump we can never go back to those hopeful exhilarating times. But if the Knicks win ?????
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". I don't fear the revolution, I fear there is complacency and it will not arrive.
Elliot, I wholeheartedly share your concerns.
I live in Michigan and we share two Great Lakes with Canada (Superior & Huron) and the third one (Michigan) with Illinois and Indiana. We also have a TON of groundwater. I feel all fresh water must be protected at ALL costs. I’ve said for some time that we could become a climate refuge given the need for freshwater. These new data centers chew up resources quickly, potentially cause contamination and who knows what else.
What I don’t want to see happen is for us to barrel into the future without some serious discussions…. about water, increasing inequality and how we will: regulate these industries, how we will provide for people that lose their jobs to AI and on and on.
I worked in the tech industry and it can be a wonderful thing. What we’ve done with the current and coming tech is far outpace our ability to grapple adequately with the implications of it. Our current regulations fall far short of even the basics. The whole question of wealth and privilege requires a robust conversation I don’t think anyone is willing to entertain at this point. Meanwhile, we have people going without: adequate healthcare, good paying jobs, housing that doesn’t cost the bulk of what they make and on and on. It’s not sustainable. We really need some adults in the room….. desperately.
There is something very wrong with these rockets. We shouldn't be affording the expense of giving Musk money to take rich people to Mars. Times are bad - the deficit is out of control and yet Congress and Vought keep giving contracts and money to Musk - for this unneeded extravagance.
I wish I were reading 2026 as a novel and not living it.